This invention relates to polymer concrete blocks and, more particularly, to a polymer concrete block especially suited for use as a unsupported floor slab.
Blocks and slabs formed of concrete or concrete derivatives have been in use for centuries in various building applications. Concrete and its derivatives have traditionally suffered, however, from tendencies to crack and crumble and their ability to span large gaps in the associated support structure has been severly limited. In an effort to overcome some of the shortcomings of concrete blocks, blocks formed of various polymer concretes have been developed and utilized with considerable success. Specifically, the polymer concrete blocks have exhibited superior wear characteristics as compared to similar concrete blocks and have proven to be much more resistant to crumbling and cracking than comparable concrete blocks. Polymer concrete blocks however continue to be limited in their ability to span significant gaps in the underlying support structure and are thus unsuitable for unsupported applications such, for example, as to provide a cover for the pit surrounding large stamping presses to allow access to the press at intermediate locations on the height of the press.